Training The Science of Child Mental Health Treatment

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This revised proposal for a new Institutional National Research Service Award (T32) is designed to provide interdisciplinary research training to predoctoral and postdoctoral level young investigators in the broad area of child mental health treatment research. Trainees will identify specific areas of mental illness and chose research strategies that advance such research at a variety of levels-treatment mechanisms, efficacy study methodology, and applications. General goals for the trainees will be to obtain a broad background in current issues in child mental health treatment research; appreciate relevant basic science models and approaches; develop expertise in a scientific method for application to studies of child treatment; complete significant independent research in a designated area of research; and develop skills necessary for transitioning into an independent investigator. This program will form a nexus for training in issues pertaining to treatment of developmental psychopathologies which currently does not exist in the region. Research training will occur at the translational intersection of disorder-specific areas-child anxiety, ADHD and disruptive disorders, autism spectrum disorders, mood disorders and suicide, and neuropsychiatric disorders-with examination of levels of treatment, such as mechanisms or biomarkers of treatment, efficacy study methods, or application of treatment research. The core training experience will occur within the trainee's own research and in their close interaction with a preceptor. In addition, participation in core didactic coursework and supplementary coursework and experiences will provide broad and specific knowledge in research approaches. The combination of trainees focusing on basic and applied research will broaden research perspectives and prepare trainees for work in collaborative research projects. The proposed plan consists of training 5 postdoctoral students with medical or doctoral degrees and 2 predoctoral students. Postdoctoral trainees will possess clinical training in a discipline relevant to child mental health treatment, or plan to complete such training following the conclusion of the research training period. Predoctoral students will be drawn from Departments of Psychology, Education, Neuroscience, or Nursing at UCLA. The program will benefit from the breadth of active treatment research at UCLA and from the supplemental cross-disciplinary training available from a wide variety of departments, programs, research units, and other training activities.